Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin’s Statement on Hadrian’s Gate Cleaning Works
Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin met with members of the press in front of Hadrian’s Gate, located on the city walls surrounding the city, to commemorate the visit of Roman Emperor Hadrian to Antalya, and provided information about the cleaning efforts initiated to protect the work and pass it on to future generations. Governor Şahin said, “Hadrian’s Gate, one of the most iconic structures of Antalya, is one of the symbols of the city. Since no maintenance and repair has been done since 1959, serious pollution and vegetation have occurred over time. For this reason, as the governor’s office, we initiated a study to protect this iconic structure. First, we prepared our projects and then submitted them to the board for approval. “We started the work after receiving approval.”
Repair Works to Extend the Life of the Work
Governor Hulusi Şahin stated that the cleaning works carried out by expert teams affiliated with the Antalya Governorship Investment Monitoring and Coordination Presidency (YİKOB) consist of three stages. He explained the works to be carried out at Hadrian’s Gate (Üçkapılar) as follows: “We are carrying out a three-stage work, we are currently working on the first stage. The main thing we do in this process is cleaning, but this is a very delicate process. Because we are talking about a 2,000-year-old structure. Sandblasting technique is used to clean difficult dirt, while lighter dirt is cleaned with pressurized water and steam. In addition, we will use special solutions that will dry the roots of the plants regarding vegetation. At the end of the works, protective layers will be created to prevent darkening and vegetation again. In addition, we aim to extend the life of our historical artifact by repairing some capillary cracks.”
Studies to Include Kaleiçi in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List
Governor Hulusi Şahin stated that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has started work to add Kaleiçi, an important historical heritage since ancient times, to the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List and added: “Kaleiçi is one of the most valuable historical and touristic destinations of Antalya andTurkey. We are making efforts to better protect and present this important heritage. Hadrian’s Gate is also a part of these works. Our Ministry of Culture and Tourism is currently working to include Kaleiçi in the World Cultural Heritage Temporary List. “If we are included in this list, we will have made significant progress in terms of promotion.”
Referring to the statements of Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in which he evaluated the developments in the tourism sector, Governor Hulusi Şahin reminding us of the year-end targets and emphasized the importance of Antalya in tourism. Şahin said, “The data announced by our Minister is promising. Our Ministry has set a target for us; 60 million tourists and 60 billion dollars of tourism revenue. The flagship of this is of course Antalya. As Antalya, we are doing our part In line with this target. As a matter of fact, the figures in the last seven months show an increase of around 10 percent compared to the previous year. However, we also experience some negativities such as the FTI incident. and includes some fluctuations. Our aim is to ensure that Turkey and Antalya get the share from the tourism pie. I hope we reach 60 million visitors by the end of the year; this will be a great gain for Antalya.”
‘Reasons for Delays and Solution Efforts’
When asked by members of the press about the delays experienced in flights at Antalya Airport, Governor Şahin explained that this situation is not only a union issue, but that many factors cause delays. Şahin said, “Some airport problems that occur in Europe are reflected in Turkey with a domino effect. It is not right to reduce this situation to just a union issue. Of course, these situations are effective, but there are other reasons as well. There are delay problems that negatively affect tourism, but you can also observe that these problems have decreased in the last 15 days compared to a month ago. We are trying to take the necessary steps to provide better service at the airport. We held a meeting under the chairmanship of our Minister of Transport and Minister of Culture and Tourism last week. In this meeting, we are addressing all elements of tourism in detail, not just the airport. “We will overcome all obstacles one by one to reach the goals we have stated.”
